Leading well through change is perhaps the greatest task of today’s leader. While Barbara Kellerman argues that, “followers are important—every bit as important as are leaders,” I believe that is not the case. More important is a new type of leadership—that of a missional map-maker. 

Alan Roxburgh proposes that these leaders—missional map-makers—rather than having all the answers, must instead cultivate environments of trust where Kingdom experiments can take place. His use of the term “maps” refers to “the geography of our identity as a culture [that informs] the ways we act.” For example, the map of modernity based on objective truth and certainty, is no longer valid in a postmodern world. Many in our culture today simply do not see reality through that lens. Now that’s not to say that there isn’t truth or certainty. What’s needed, however, are leaders as missional map-makers who create environments in which followers can root themselves in truth through habits and practices in the context of committed relationships. 

Rather than supplying universal solutions in a world of constant change, missional map-makers connect followers, help them interpret their present reality in light of God’s truth, and provide them with needed support.

I believe Jesus of Nazareth brought about seismic change when He introduced the Kingdom of God into a Jewish world under Roman dominion. As his follower, I have embraced a serving leadership approach in handling change. I believe he empowered his disciples as a missional map-maker, providing them with the necessary tools to build his church where true transformation would anchor followers in a system of both belief and praxis that continues to expand, even to this day. 

I believe we need to first understand change from a Biblical perspective and through that lens frame the experiences of our lives and input of others. As we move forward in these posts, I will share my theological moorings before discussing several change models and the dynamics of leading change at individual and organizational levels. Ten years of experience and observation while leading a non-profit organization in Asia will also play a role in my conversation on change.